System of ship propulsion.



E. F. W. ALEXANDERSON.

SYSTEM OF SHIP PROPULSlON. APPLICATION FILED APR. 26. 1913.

e 1,215,094. Patented Feb. 6,1917.

7 I Inventor-z 5M )4? ErnstFWj lexandersorw $2? b5 M %gr ne3.

Witnesses:

"UNITED STATES-PATENT omen.

1 i ERNST F. W. ALEXANDERSON, OF SCHENECTADY, NEW YORK, ASSIGN OR TO GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

SYSTEM OF SHIP PROPULSION.

Specification 01 Letter: Patent.

Patented Feb. 6, 1917.

Application filed April 26, 1913. Serial No. 763,696.

pulsion in which the propellers are driven by induction motors supplied with alternating current from a polyphase alternator.

The object of my invention is, broadly, to provide an improved system of electric ship propulsion, and in particular to provide an improved electric system of ship propulsion in which driven by induction motors having permanently short circuited windings. Another object of my invention is to provide an improved method of and means for increasing the reversing torque of a propeller-driving induction motor in an electric system of ship propulsion, and in this connection the particular aim of my invention is to provide an improved method of and suitable means for enabling propeller-driving induction motors-to develop sufficient torque to meet the severe requirements of reversal from high speeds. A further object of the invention is to provide an improved controlling apparatus for an electric system of ship propulsion. Other objects of the invention will be brought out hereinafter.

A system of electric ship propulsion employing induction motors having a single primary winding and a short circuited secondary winding has heretofore been considered entirely impracticable. In no practical system of ship propulsion, heretofore devised,'has the use of this type of propeller driving motor been successfully or satisfactorily contemplated. I have discovered and demonstrated that it is possible and eminently practicable to provide a system of electric ship propulsion employing induction motors having a single primary winding and a permanently short circuited secondary winding. I havefound the essential prerequisites for the successful operaability the propellers are tion of such a system to reside primarily in the characteristics of the induction motor, and secondarily in the design of the alternator. By the employment of an induction motor having certain characteristics an eflicient system of electric ship propulsion is 0 provided which at first blush appears to those skilled in the art utterly impracticable. This subject matter is covered in my copending application filed October 13, 1916, Ser. No. 125,507.

Induction motors are ordinarily designed. to stand a fluctuating and indefinite load, and consequently one important factor to be i considered in their design is the overload capacity for maximum torque which the motor can stand without breaking down.

In electric ship propulsion the principal requirement of the propeller driving motor is to reverse from approximately full speed ahead and also to start and bring the load up to speed, while overloads beyond the normal navigating load are not likely to occur after the motor has been reversed or reached full speed. A design of induption motor, in which power factor and overload capacity are sacrificed to provide higher starting torque and high efficiency, can, therefore, be very advantageously employed in a system of electric ship propulsion. I accordingly propose to provide in a system of electric ship propulsion an induction motor having inherently a high starting torque and having furthermore /normal full load operating characteristics approaching as near as possible those of the ordinary inductionvmotor.

The characteristics which I have found to be essential to the successful operation of an induction motor in a system of ship propulsion are most satisfactorily obtained by 95, the proper design of the secondary circuit of the motor. To thisend this circuit may have an inductively changing effective resistance. That is to say, the effective ohmic resistance of the secondary winding of the motor inductively ehanges so that the ohmic resistance of the winding will be relatively high when the secondary current is of high frequency. A motor possessing these characteristics is capable of developing sufiicient torque for all ordinary requirements of ship propulsion, but I havein addition provided in my present system further means for producing increased torque for maneuvering operations, which will be described in detail hereinafter.

Tn carrying out my invention I provide a polyphase alternator arranged to be electrically connected to the primary winding of one or more induction motors. Each induction motor may have a short circuited secondary winding designed to have relatively high effectiveresistance when the secondary current is of high frequency. Preferably the secondary winding is of the squirrel cage type and I now consider the best results to be obtained when the secondary winding comprises two sections, one section having relatively high resistance and low 'reactance and the other section relatively low resistance and high reactance.

The maneuvering speed regulation of the ships propellers is obtained in the system which I have'herein illustrated by a regulation of the excitation of the alternator. In order to obtain an increased torque of the motors for reversing and other maneuvering operations, I provide means for obtaining a considerable over-excitation of the alternator. The reversal of the phase rotation between the motor and the alternator is arranged to be effected when the alternator is substantially unexcited, whereby reversal of the direction of rotation of the motors is effected when there is little or no voltage on the system. The novel features which I believe to be patentably characteristic of my invention are definitely indicated in the claims appended hereto. The arrangement and design of the apparatus in a system of ship propulsion embodying the novel features of my invention and the operation thereof will be understood from the following description-taken in connection with the accompanying drawings. in which Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of the arrangement of apparatus in my system of ship propulsion, and Fig. 2 is a detail view of a preferred construction of short circuited secondary winding employed in the propeller driving motors of my system.

In the drawings there is illustrated diagrammatically an elastic fiuid turbine 5 directly coupled to a polyphase alternator. ll have shown'for the purposes of illustration an alternator of the revolving field type havinc an exciting winding 6 supplied with direct current from the armature 7 of a separate exciter by means of slip rings 8 and cooperating brushes. The alternator has a p(, l \"phase stator winding 9 which is electrically connected to the primary winding 10 of a polyphase induction motor. The rotor 11 of the induction motor is opcratively con nected to a propeller 12 of the ship. It will be understood. of course. that more than one propeller driving motor may be employed,

of the alternator.

and I have illustrated one propeller operativcly connected to one induction motor merely for the purposes of illustration.

The exciter for the alternator has a field winding 15 which is supplied with direct current from the mains 16. A rheostat 17 having a movable controller 18 is included a e 1n the field circuit of the exciter. The rheostat is so designed that when the controller is in one extreme position and cotiperating with contact 19 a certain predetermined normal amount of resistance is included in the field circuit of the exciter. TVhen the controller is in the other extreme position and cooperating with contact '20 a greater amount of resistance is included in the field circuit of the exciter. When the controller occupies a third and preferably an intermediate position, engaging with contact .21, no resistance is included in the field circuit of the exciter and in this position of the con trollcr the excitation of the alternator will be a maximum.

The predetermined amount of resistance included in the field circuit of the excitcr whenthe controller engages with contact 19 is that required to produce normal excitation This is designed to be the excitation under which the alternator operates in the ordinary navigation of the ship. and is accordingly the most efiicient excitation of the alternator. Vhen the controller engages with contact 21, the minimum amount of resistance, for example no resistance at all as illustrated in the drawings. is included in the 'exciter field circuit. This latter condition is designed to produce a considerable over-excitation of the alternator. and consequently an increasein its terminal voltage. The starting torque of an induction motor varies substantially as the square of the impressed voltage, and it will. therefore, be seen that the over-excitation of the alternator provides a means for obtaining a greatly increased starting torque of the propeller driving motor.

The reversal of the phase rotation between the motor and alternator: and conse quently the reversal of the direction of rotation of the rotor of the induction motor. is ellected by the solenoid operated switches 22 and 23. The windings oi the solenoids of these switches arearranged to be connected to the supply main 1G by means of the controller 18 of the rheostat. The windings ot the solenoids of switches 22 are connected to contact plate 24. and the windings of the solenoids of switches 23 are connected to contact plate 25. Contact plate 24 is adaptcd to be electrically connected to a cooperating plate 2% by the controller. and similarly contact plate is adapted to be electrically connected to a coi'aperating plate 25. The plates Ql and 25 are connected to one side of the supply main 16, while the. wind- I or vice-versa.

. ings of the solenoids of switches 22 and 23 side of the supswitches 23 will be energized and the switches 23 will be closed and the switches 22 open. In this manner the phase rotationof the motor with respect to the alternator is reversed. It will he observed that the rheostat is symmetrically arranged so as to provide the same regulation of the excitation of the alternator for both directions of rotation of the rotor 11.

The arrangement of the resistance in the rheostat is such that the reversal of the phase rotation of the motor is effected when the alternator is substantially unexcited. This is accomplished byopening the field circuit of the exciter when the controller 18 moves from contact plate 24 to contact plate 25, In case it is not desired to completely open the field circuit of the exciter when the controller is moved from contact plate 24 to contact plate 25, an excessive amount of resistance can be included in the circuit during this movement. I have accordingly employed the expression excessiveamount of resistance to include that amount of resistance required to reduce'the alternator voltage to the desired value for the reversal operation, and it will be understood that this expression is intended to cover an infinite amount of resistance, as when the exciter field circuit isopen.

A solenoid operated switch 26 is arranged to short. circuit a resistance 27 permanently connected in series with the exciter and the exciting winding 6 of the alternator. The solenoid of/the switch 26 is included in series with either the solenoid windings of switches 22 or switches 23, and is accordingly energized, and the switch 26 closed, when the with either contact plate 24 or control plate 25. The object of the switch 26 and the resistance 27 is to introduce a resistance in the field circuit of the alternator when the field circuit of the'exciter is opened, thus preventing the production of a dangerous current in the former circuit when the alternator field collapses.

The propeller driving induction -motor' must be designed to give the characteristics her einbefore mentioned. To this end, I have found that a permanently short circuited secondary winding of inductively changing current distribution is particularly suited for ship propulsion purposes.- 'Numerous constructions and arrangements of the seethe armature 7 of a controller 18 engages different sections of the ondary winding for obtaining an inductively changing current distribution in the secondary circuit will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. The motor must be designed primarily so that the secondary circuit will have a relatively high effective resistance when the secondary current is of high frequency, and secondarily so thatthe secondary circuit will have a relatively low effective resistance when the rent is of low frequency. It will, of course, be understood that I mean by secondary current of high frequency, current of that secondary curfrequency induced in the secondary wind- .7

ing when the slip of the motor is relatively large, and by current of low frequency, current of that frequency induced in the secondary winding when the slip of the motor is relatively small.

I believe that such a secondary winding of inductively changing efi'ective resistance can best be obtained by constructing the winding of two separate and independent sections. Each section in reality constitutes a complete winding in itself, but I have, unless otherwise noted, used the expression secondary winding in-the specification and claims of this application tocover the entire secondary winding regardless of the number of independent sectlons into which such winding is divided. One section of my preferred construction of secondary winding has relatively high ohmic resistance and low reaotance, while the other section has relatively low ohmic resistance and high reactance.

I have employed the expression relatively high resistance to designate the effective resistance of the secondary winding under certain conditions with relation to its effective resistance under other conditions and without regard to the actual value of the resistance. It will accordingly be under stood that the word relatively, as herein employed, refers to the relative resistance of the secondary winding under different conditions, as when the frequency of the secondary current is high or low, and, in other cases, to the relative resistance of secondary winding.

Inthe drawings, I have designated the relatively high resistance winding by reference character 13 and the relatively low reneath the surface of the rotor, and being substantially embedded in the iron of the rotor'has high inductance. The arrangement of the bars of the secondary winding will be better understood by reference to Fig. 2 of the drawings. of the secondary winding are mechanically r The two sections independent and each is of the well lrnown squirrel cage type.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that other arrangements of the sec tions of the secondary winding may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention. it will further be understood that a winding having two sections is not necessary,- and'll have merely described such a winding as constituting what 11 now consider a preferred construction for the pur. oses of electric ship propulsion. lhose skilled in the art will, however, realize that the same characteristics may be obtained by the use of a properly designed secondary winding of one section.

1 have found that resistance material having a specific resistance about fourteen times that of copper well suited for the conductor bars of the high resistance winding 13. The mass of material employed in this winding is further designed to give a considerable heatstorage capacity. The conductor bars of the-winding 14- are made of low resistance materialto give this section of winding a. low ohmic resistance, and are also designed to have considerable heat storagecapacity.

On account of its high self induction, the

winding let will carry very little current when the frequency of the secondary current is high, and consequently under this condition the secondary current will be forced into the high resistance winding 13, thus producing a satisfactory torque of the motor when the slip is large. On the other hand, as the frequency of the secondary cur rent diminishes, more and more currentwill flow through the low resistance winding 14: until at normal slip the motor has the desirable running characteristics of an induction motor with an ordinary squirrel cage secondary winding. It will thus be seen that the current distribution of the secondary current is automatically changed by inductive action to produce the desired operating requirements for all speeds of the motor.

The efiect of the secondary winding illustrated herein is to give normal slip of the motor and eficiency of at least 95 per cent. under full load, and a speed-torque curve so shaped that the torque when the motor is standing still is about per cent. of the full load running torque with about twice normal current in the primary circuit. The generator is proportioned to give this abnormal current to the motor; To do so, however, requires some additional excitation. This additional excitation is provided when the controller 18 coiiperates with con tact 21, under which condition no resistance is included in the field winding of the exciter and the alternator is operating with maximum excitation. his over-excitation antenna is of such an amount as to render the operation of the alternator inefficient if such a strong field were constantly maintained, and accordingly the rheostat is provided with contact 19 which is designed when the controller 18 cooperates therewith to furnish the normal and most efficient excitation for the alternator.

Under normal operating conditions of the ship the controller 18 will cooperate with contact 19. The controller is preferably arranged to he locked in this position since it will be the normal position of the controller when the ship is navigating at normal speed. in the drawings 1 have shown a lug 28 on the controller adapted to engage with spring catches 29 for holding the controller in engagement with either of the contacts 19.

. A spring 30 is operatively connected to the controller and tends to maintain the controller in an oif position, that is, with the field circuit of the exciter open. The controller is, therefore, arranged through the action of the spring 30 to' cooperate with contact 21 only when manually held in engagement with this contact. T he spring thus tends to resist the movement of the controller into engagement with contact 21 so that the condition of over-excitation of the alternator can be maintained only by manual control.

' l/Vhen in the maneuvering of the ship it is desired to decrease the speed of the ships propeller the controller is moved from contact 21 toward contact 20, thereby including additional resistance in the field winding of the exciter and diminishing the excitation of the alternator, and consequently its terminal voltage. The reduction in terminal ,voltage reduces the torque of the propeller driving motor and increases the slip of the motor which results in a decreased speed of the ships propeller.

During reversal and also during the starting and accelerating stages of the ship the power factor of the propeller driving motors is low and the kilovolt-amperes required to produce the necessary starting and acceler ating torque will be approximately fifty per cent. greater than the normal kilovolt-amperes required when the motors are running at full speed. These increased kilovolt-amperes could of course be obtained by providing an alternator having a normal rated kilovolt-ampere capacity fifty per cent. greater than required for normal navigating operation of the propeller driving motors. I prefer, however, to obtain this increased kilovolt-ampere output of the alternator by forcing the excitation of the alternator, that is, by over-exciting the alternator as hereinbefore mentioned. fore, designed so output under conditions is substantially equal to the kilothat its kilovolt-ampere The alternator is, therethe most efiicient operating volt" ampere demand of the propeller driving motors during normal navigation,-and

also so that the excitation of the alternator to maintain the desired'corresponding speed.

of the propeller driving motors.

The proportions of the secondary winding the induction motor are such that the heat storage capacity in the conductors of 5 Further, and more specific ally,

the winding alone is sufiicient to cover a two minute reversal operation with maximum excitation of the alternator without producing temperature rises that could be considered in any way objectionable. This heat storage capacity together with such heat removal as will be afforded by the iron of the motor will make the interval of safe reversal, with the ship moving in'the opposite direction, about three or four minutes, or as mu h time as will be required in ordinary maneuvering. v

The particular design of secondary Winding employed in the propeller driving motors of my system insures a high starting torque onaccount of the high reactance of one section of the winding. The further provision means for over-exciting the alternator insures a starting torque of the motors adequate for all conditions met with in the maneuvering of the ship. When the ship is bein maneuvered, as in reversingfrom full spee ahead, or maneuvering in harbors or about. wharves, be over-excited, and under these conditions the torque of the propeller driving motors will be very materially increased, and increased sufliciently so that the motors will come up to speed without difiiculty under the load which the propellers impose upon them.

It willbe seen from the foregoing description that I have provided a system of electric ship propulsion in which induction motors having permanently shortgcirculted secondary windings can be successfully employed when the motor possesses certain characteristics. These characteristics are assured when the secondary winding has a' relatively secondary current is of 'high frequency.

I .have provided a system of ship propulsion comprising an induction motor with a short circuited rotor winding in combination with a polyphase alternator with direct electrical connection between the alternator and the motor, anda controller for the field excitation of the'alternatorso arranged that the different maneuveringspeeds forward and backward of-the ship are obtained by Qarying the field" strength of the alternator,

the alternator will generally method of vpled to a propeller,

high effective resistance when the whereas the reversifig of the phase rotation between the motor and the alternator occurs at a position of the controller where the field of the alternator is not excited. -The controller is provided with an off position and a continuous set of running points for forward and another set of running points 7 for backward operation, and is further arranged when in operative relation to one point to cut all resistance out of the alternator field circuit thereby producing maximum and over-excitation of the alternator.

The particular advantage of this system of propulsion, lies not only in the elimination of all controlling devices in the secondary circuit of the induction motor, but also in the elimination of all controlling devices in the primary circuit, which need to be designed for heavy current. A further and decided advantage of the system of control resides in the reversal of the direction of rotation of the propellers age on the system.

while there is no volt- Those skilled in the art will appreciate t at my invention is susceptible of numer;

ous modifications, and accordingly I do not desire to limit myself to the particular arrangement and design of apparatus herein described. I, therefore, claims to cover all modifications which are Within the spirit and scope of my invention. What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is 1. In a system of electric ship propulsion including an electric generator arranged to deliver electric energy to an electric motor operativ'ely coupled to a propeller, the reversing the direction of motion of the ship which comprises reversing the connections of said motor and simultaneously increasing the excitation of isaid generator above its normalrunning excitation. 2.1In a system of electric ship propulsion including an alternating current generator arranged to deliver electric energy to a polyphase induction motor operatively couthe method of reversing the direction of motion of the ship which 'comprises'reversing the phase rotation between the motor and the generator and simultaneously increasing the excitation of said generator above lts' normal'l running e ation. 8

A system i .of shippropulsion, comprising n combiri'iition a polyphase alternator, a polyphase induction motor .electrically connected to said alternator, a propeller operatively connected to said motor, and means for reversing the direction of rotation of said propeller consisting of means for re versing the direction of rotation of said motor and means for simultaneously increasing aim in the appended v arranged to deliver electric energy to a poly phase induction motor operatively coupled to a propeller, the method of reversing the direction of motion of the ship which comprises reversing the phase rotation between the motor and the generator and increasing the torque of the motor during the act of reversal by increasing the excitation of the generator.

An electric system of ship propulsion, comprising in combination an alternating current generator, an induction motor electrically connected to said generator and having a permanently short cirruited secondary winding of variable etl'ective resistance, a propeller operatively connected to said motor, means for reversing the direction of rotation of the motor and oi the propeller consisting of means for reversing the phase rotation between the motor and the generator and of means for simultaneously increasing the excitation of the generator, the effective resistance of said short circuited secondary winding being relatively low under normal navigating conditions and being relatively high during the reversal of the propeller.

(LA system of ship propulsion, comprising in combination a polyphase alternator, an induction motor having a polyphase primary winding electrically connected to said alternator, a propeller operatively connect ed to said motor, means for producing overexcitation of said alternator whereby the torque of said motor can be increased, such over-excitation being of such an amount as to render the operation of the alternator inpeller operati-vely connected by manual control.

eilicient it maintained under normal navigation, and means whereby the condition ol over-excitation of said alternator can be maintained only by manual control.

7. An electric system of ship propulsion, comprising in combination an alternating current generator, an induction motor electrically connected to said generator, a propeller operatively connected to said motor, means for reversing the direction of: rotation of the motor and of the propeller, and means for increasing the excitation of said generator above its normal and el'licient excitation when the propeller is reversed.

8. An electric system of ship propulsion. comprising in combination an alternating current generator, an induction motor electrically connected to said generator, a proto said motor. means for increasing the excitation of said generator above its normal and efficient excitation t'or increasing the torque of said motor, a controller for making the desired electrical connections of the system including those of said last mentioned means, and means whereby the controller can be maintained in its starting positions ahead or astern and its position for obtaining said increased excitation of the generator only I have hereunto set Axplll,

In witness whereof, my hand this 24th day of E NET l "W. ALEXANDERSQN.

Witnesses:

BENJAMIN B. HULL,

HELEN @nronn. 

